Business as unusual: Business continuity during the Olympics

Nick Brook, head of facilities management at Mills & Reeve, explores how to tackle the business challenges posed by the 2012 Olympics

The Olympic Games are not just for two weeks, not just about London and not the only big occurrence '¨in 2012.

Olympic test events are already being held, but activity associated with the Games will really pick up from 18 May, when the Olympic torch arrives in the UK to begin its 70-day tour.

In June, the country will also be celebrating the queen’s jubilee, world pride, Wimbledon tennis championships, Notting Hill carnival, the commencement of the London 2012 festival and parts of the Olympic road network coming into force (to ensure athletes, officials and dignitaries can get to and from venues).

Meanwhile, pre-games training camps will be established around the country and 22 live site venues – large screens televising the Games – will be established nationwide.

All firms should prepare for the Olympics and have appropriate plans in place to deal with the knowns and unknowns. The knowns are specific issues that firms will have to deal with because of the Games, while the unknowns relate to the unexpected.

During the 2000 Games, I was working in Sydney’s central business district (CBD) for an international recruitment company. Ironically, despite Sydney being the same physical size as London (within the M25), it only has a third of the population. But, more athletes participated in the Sydney Games than will do in London.

There are pointers that London can bear in mind from Sydney’s experiences. '¨I will keep my discussions focused on '¨firms in London, but those outside may wish to consider some of these issues '¨as well.

Clients and staffing

Transport is perhaps the single biggest disrupting factor associated with the Games. However, take a step back from this and ask what your clients are doing during the Games. Are there particular matters that need attention during this period? Find this out (ideally via client review meetings) so that you can plan what type of service you need to provide to clients.

If they are all working from home, that could have favourable implications on how many of your staff can go on leave during the traditional summer holiday season. Even within London, it is advantageous to avoid non-essential business travel and use video and tele-conferencing.

Staffing your firm will be one of the key issues. For businesses to run smoothly during the Games, the London 2012 organising committee is suggesting that London firms achieve similar figures to Sydney in terms of people management: '¨

• 27 per cent of employees take leave from work;

• 24 per cent change the number of hours they work;

• 22 per cent work remotely;

• 18 per cent commute at different times; and

• 15 per cent change the number of days worked per week. '¨

A combination of these options, rather than simply one, should be considered. Whatever firms and their HR teams decided to do, the plan for Games '¨time should be communicated in good time. By now, leave policy should have been confirmed.

In Sydney, we were asked, in advance, what options we would take during the Games period. I elected to start work '¨by 7.30am. My wife (who worked for '¨the federal government) also elected '¨this option. We headed on holiday '¨during the Paralympics and had a day '¨off to see a hockey semi final. The result '¨of this was that my wife and I could get a seat each, both ways, on an otherwise crowded train service and had a very productive morning before the ‘late’ '¨shift commenced at 10.00am.

The working from home option is probably a better option in London now than it was in Sydney ten years ago, where that option was limited by dial-up connections and mobile phones. It may also be appropriate to relocate critical projects/matters to other offices in the '¨UK or use alternative workspaces such '¨as serviced offices for the duration of '¨the Games.

Transport for London has published a list of stations to avoid and some very helpful material regarding predicted congested times at stations. Organisations with more than 200 employees can take advantage of this travel planning advice.

For those left in the office during this time, there will be a different atmosphere. In Sydney, the Olympics were a time when the city found itself to be at the centre of the world for a very short time. There was a special atmosphere and we arranged for TVs to be placed around the office (a video feed over the network was not an option). This added to the upbeat nature of the office and we were able to stop to catch up with the latest events, especially when medals were at stake, or to see the latest Olympic story – such as Equatorial Guinea’s Eric the Eel.

This attitude was no doubt buoyed on by Australians’ love for sport and former prime minister Bob Hawke’s comments on sport and workplace relations back in 1983 when Australia won the America’s Cup from the USA: “Any boss who sacks his worker today is a bum!”

Undoubtedly, the atmosphere in London will be unique during the Olympics and will be a drawcard for colleagues from other offices to visit. While there may room to accommodate them in the office, it might not be practical given expected transport disruptions. In addition, many hotels have no availability during the Olympic period and those that still do, as you should expect, are charging high prices and a minimum number of nights '¨as standard.

Goods and services

The transport issues will also affect the delivery of goods and services to your firm. Road restrictions and closures, along with changes in access to buildings, will also come into play during the Games and, in some cases, before they start.

Service providers should already be in touch with your facilities teams to establish a plan to deal with the delivery of goods and services. It is almost certain that deliveries will need to be made at different times and, if possible, reduced.

In 2000, we stockpiled our stationery so that we had no delivery during the Olympic period. Given the number of people away and the availability of space not being used (including meeting rooms), this worked very well.

In some cases, you may need to accept that mail, DX, archiving and printing deliveries will need to be made at different times. Again, technology has moved with the times and mail is less important (judging by the lessening volumes received in mailrooms) than it was ten years ago.

Stockpiling does not work with perishable items and you will need to have another plan in place with your caterers. A reduced menu and/or additional cold storage units are potential solutions. Do check your contract, however, as you may still be liable to pay the labour element even if you are closing down some or all '¨of your facility.

It is tempting to take advantage of the office being quiet to do additional maintenance or refurbishments. Don’t. Access issues could complicate how '¨and when this work happens.

In 2000, a concern we had was the emergency servicing of printer and photocopier equipment, given road restrictions and access. Suppliers, in conjunction with their larger clients, were stockpiling items within CBD locations so that mobile (on foot or bike) engineers could quickly respond to service calls '¨with the appropriate parts. This was a good way to continue to build better business relationships.

Again, these plans should be agreed and in place with suppliers well before '¨the Games commence and internal customers must be made aware of '¨any service changes.

Security

The unknowns are just that, but could potentially have a much wider impact, '¨such as the closure of certain parts of London.

The current threat from international terrorism is substantial – meaning that an attack is strongly possible. During the Games, it is expected that this rating will be raised to severe – meaning an attack is highly likely. Plan ahead to ensure you have adequate security personal in place – you may need to look at encouraging their retention to your firm.

Focus on minimising your own vulnerabilities, namely people, IT and property. Ensure your business continuity plans are up to date and include plans that are relevant to the Games; there are resources to help you do that at London2012.com.

Don’t use the Games as the test for your business continuity plan: test your plan and systems before the event. Nearer the time, communicate with key players in your business continuity plan to ensure they are aware of their roles and responsibilities, have access to the plan (including at home) and have the phone numbers (mobile and landlines) of other key people.

Long-term implications

When the Paralympics finish and the last athlete and IOC official leave London to prepare for Rio 2016, it will all be over. Be prepared for the legacy of the Games on your business. What if you find that working broader hours and at different locations benefits your business and '¨your people? The Olympics could very well put these issues on the corporate agenda. Do not let this opportunity go to waste.

For the cynics, to whom the London Olympics may be reminiscent of the Y2K bug – a lot of time and money spent on something that was never a real problem – beware. An article published a year ago predicting the perils of 2011 – riots in major UK cities in the summer and the non-functioning of Blackberry in October – may not even have been published. Planning and forethought go a long way in preparing your firm.

When I asked Justin Orsborn, a partner at a Sydney law firm at the time, about his memories of the Sydney Olympics, he reminisced: “Everyone thought it would be a disaster and should get out of town, but actually it was a wonderful time to be in Sydney. We carried on as usual, but used it as an occasion to do extra marketing – taking clients to events which would often lead on to other festivities that were going on around the CBD. We had a television in reception showing the Games non-stop. There was an amazing vibe and friendliness around the CBD – people talking to strangers, etc. So all in all a very positive memory. Can’t remember any glitches at all.”

A lot of this is down to good business planning. It’s far better to plan for problems and not to use those plans, than to start thinking about what to do when the unexpected happens.

 

Preparing for the Olympics

• Start planning now if your firm has not already. There are some very good resources on London2012.com

• Find out what your clients are doing and resource accordingly

• Talk to your suppliers (if they are not talking to you)

• Ensure the firm’s business continuity plan is up to date and all involved know their roles and responsibilities

• Enjoy the Games and the legacy that they will bring your workplace

 

nick.brook@mills-reeve.com